What initially appears to be a man's search to clarify the details of a horrific crime becomes a study in how journalism can stray from the truth and create myth.

Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in Queens, N.Y., in 1964. That much is undisputed. The subsequent news stories by The New York Times, which reported 38 witnesses saw the crime but did nothing to stop it nor called the authorities until it was too late, created a stir.

"It was seen as proof that New York City was uncaring and that America was falling apart," says Bill Genovese, Kitty's younger brother. "My sister has been the symbol for apathy for decades. The girl that no one cared about."

The event led New York City to institute the 911 system, and the idea of the apathetic witnesses made its way into pop culture — it has been the basis for TV crime show episodes through the decades.

Ten years ago, Bill Genovese decided to figure out how 38 people could witness his sister's murder but do nothing. Director James Solomon chronicles the quest in "The Witness," a gripping and surprising documentary making its Colorado premiere at the Boulder International Film Festival.

We learn his sister's murder, and more specifically, the notion that no one helped her, affected Bill Genovese's life tremendously. He joined the Marines as a result of the apathy that came from the event and later lost his legs while serving in Vietnam.

Determined to understand, Genovese does his own detective work. He combs through witness files and tracks down ones still living. He interviews journalists who were around during the murder's coverage, as well as former friends of Kitty Genovese. He even speaks with the son of the man convicted of killing Kitty.

What Bill Genovese finds 50 years after the murder is more complicated than he imagined. It begins to unravel the myth.

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